The Blocks Coat pattern is also available in Crochet in Color by Kathy Merrick, who shares in this book her secrets to designing with color in unique and unexpected ways. Merrick offers 17 patterns that explore a variety of ways to play with color that will build your crochet color confidence.

I was looking out my window at a Pennsylvania October when I started thinking about this cozy project. When autumn comes, I like the idea of a big comfy jacket in strong colors, with the added bonus of nice big pockets. The wonderful thing about this coat is that you could easily use a different color combination—say, sky blue, cream, rose, lavender, and aqua—to welcome spring. This is an easy introduction to working crochet intarsia because the blocks are simple and regular. Master the easy color changes here and then move on to circles or stars.